The following invention relates to grass mowing machines, such as power reel cutting mowers used to cut grass forming a xe2x80x9cgreenxe2x80x9d of a golf course. More particularly, this invention relates to a riser attachment or other system for quickly, easily and precisely adjusting a height at which the cutting reel of the mower is set.
Mowing machines are known in the art for cutting grass or other vegetative matter to a desired substantially uniform height. For instance, in the maintenance of golf courses and particularly golf course greens, precise and uniform cutting of the grass is particularly critical for proper performance of the green. Specialized mowers have been developed exclusively for the purpose of properly mowing golf course greens. Two typical examples of such prior art golf course greens mowers include a mower sold by the Toro Company of Bloomington, Minnesota under the registered trademark xe2x80x9cGREENSMASTER 1000xe2x80x9d and the mower described in the patent to Tsuchiya (U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,757) incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Such prior art mowers are characterized by having a cutting reel which is driven by a gas combustion motor or other cutting reel drive. The cutting reel is precisely located above the ground by ground contacting surfaces. These ground contacting surfaces typically include a front cylinder (also referred to as a roller) mounted to a frame of the mower in front of the cutting reel and one or more rear drums or other wheels located to the rear of the cutting reel. The front cylinder and rear drum are oriented tangent with a common plane referred to as the mower support plane. The cutting reel is located above the mower support plane by a height defining a height at which the grass remains after being cut by the cutting reel. Typically, the height of the cutting reel above the mower support plane can be adjusted so that this grass height can be selected as desired.
Most golf course greens include a primary green surface which is a surface which has the grass cut at a shortest height (typically {fraction (9/64)} inch). Surrounding the green is a collar (also commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cfringexe2x80x9d) which has the grass cut slightly higher (typically xe2x85x9c inch to xc2xd inch) than that of the green, but lower than that of surrounding grass of the fairway and other landscape surrounding the green. The collar is preferably cut with the same type of greens mower but with the mower used for cutting the collar having the cutting reel positioned further from the mower support plane.
While it would be conceivable to use a single greens mower for cutting both the primary green surface and the collar, such utilization of the greens mower is not practical. Specifically, the precise height requirements of the primary green surface and the collar dictate that the height of the cutting reel be very carefully and precisely set so that the primary green surface and collar are properly cut. Such adjustment is best reliably made within a shop environment where precise measuring equipment and tools are available for making such an adjustment. As the golf course has numerous greens spread out over a large geographic area, repeatedly making these height adjustments between the primary green surface and the collar would be both excessively time consuming and prone to error. Such risk of error is particularly magnified when it is desired that personnel utilize the greens mower which are not skilled in precise mower adjustment.
Accordingly, standard prior art practice in maintenance of a golf course greens typically involves transporting two greens mowers to each green for proper grass cutting. One of the greens mowers has the cutting reel set at the primary green height and the second greens mower has the cutting reel set at the collar height. This common practice requires that twice the number of greens mowers be purchased and maintained by the golf course and requires that twice the amount of equipment be transported between greens on the golf course to effectively maintain the golf course. This common practice also illustrates the undesirability of attempting to adjust the height of the cutting reel in the field, rather than in the shop.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system to quickly, easily and reliably adjust a height of a greens mower or other lawn mower from a first height to a second height. Such a system would provide precise height adjustment and be readily adjustable between the two heights to most effectively allow cutting of both the primary green surface and the collar with a single greens mower. Analogous needs are similarly presented with other types of grass mowers where quick and convenient height adjustment is desired.
This invention provides a mower height adjustment system which allows a mower such as a golf course greens mower to be readily and precisely adjusted in cutting height such as between a primary green height and a collar height. According to this invention a bearing surface is provided which is removably attachable to the mower. The bearing surface is located below a mower support plane defined by primary ground contacting surfaces (i.e. the front roller/cylinder and rear drum) of the mower. The bearing surface thus raises the cutting reel of the mower away from the ground to a second height, such as for cutting a collar surrounding a golf course green.
The bearing surface can be configured in many different ways and be removably attached in many different ways and still perform according to this invention. The bearing surface is preferably in the form of an elongate substantially cylindrical rotating collar having a configuration similar to the front cylinder of the mower, such that performance of the mower is not altered, other than in grass cutting height, whether the motor rests upon the primary ground contacting surfaces of the mower or the removably attachable bearing surface provided by this invention. The bearing surface is preferably provided as a portion of a riser attachment which facilitates the quick attachment and detachment of the bearing surface to the frame of the mower.
The riser attachment preferably includes a pair of brackets securely attached to the mower, such as with bolts, and removably supports a pair of interfaces which rotatably or otherwise support the bearing surface. Each interface is configured to be quickly removably attached to a corresponding of bracket. For instance, each bracket can be provided with a cavity and the interface provided with an arm which extends into the cavity of the bracket. In this way, the bearing surface, such as a rotatable roller surface is rotatably supported by the interfaces at opposite ends of the bearing surface. The interfaces can be removably attached to the brackets on either side of the mower to present the bearing surface below the mower support plane, slightly lifting the mower and the associated cutting reel to cause the mower to cut at the second higher cutting height.
Preferably, a lever is provided with a threaded post which acts with a threaded side hole in the cavity of each bracket so that the levers can cause the arms of the interfaces to be pinched and secured within the cavities of the brackets when the bearing surface is to be utilized. When the bearing surface is not to be utilized, the levers are merely rotated to release the arms out of the cavities so that the bearing surface and associated interfaces can be removed from the brackets and off of the mower, with the mower then available for use at the first lower cutting height, such as to cut the primary green surface.
A height adjuster is preferably provided to allow for adjustment of a distance at which the bearing surface extends below the mower support plane. Preferably, the height adjuster is in the form of bolts rotatably supported adjacent each cavity to alter a depth of each cavity and hence a distance at which each arm of each interface can extend into each cavity.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a system for adjusting a cutting height of a mower.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a riser attachment for quickly, easily and precisely adjusting a height of a greens mower from a primary green cutting height to a collar green cutting height.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mower height adjustment system which very precisely adjusts a height of a mower between at least two different heights.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mower height adjustment system which does not alter a performance of the mower other than to alter a height at which grass is cut by the mower.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a riser attachment for a mower which increases a cutting height of the mower when the riser attachment is attached.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a riser attachment which alters a cutting height of a mower with the riser attachment being quickly and easily attached and detached to the mower and precisely altering a height adjustment of the mower.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a riser attachment for a mower which increases a height at which the mower cuts grass and with the riser attachment itself precisely adjustable to adjust an amount of cutting height change provided by the riser attachment when attached.